Abstract:

This is the first book to explore child sexual abuse within global religious and media organisations. Termed here the dual narrative, there is, on the one hand, the view that everyone is a potential paedophile, and, on the other, the notion of a witch-hunt falsely accusing people. Beginning with a re-examination of historic claims of satanic ritual abuse, the author moves on to investigate global celebrity culture, the global religious context as well as an analysis of technology. The internal report into the BBC and the UK’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse are examined, plus recent claims of satanic child sexual abuse. Most revealing is how child sexploitation is at the heart of the establishment maintaining power, driven by constructions of gender. It is also shown how memory is selective involving stories we tell ourselves to confirm identities.